Chennai: Madras High Court has reduced quantum of sentence awarded by a lower court order to an accused in acid attack from 10 years to seven years.
Justice RMT Teekaa Raman, before whom a criminal appeal filed an accused, M. Siluvai of Coimbatore, came up for hearing, passed first order after the amendment to penal provisions on the recommendations of Justice J.S. Verma Committee on acid attack.
The accused Siluvai sought to set aside the conviction and sentence passed by the III additional assistant sessions court at Coimbatore, which sentenced him to undergo RI for 10 years and to imposed him with pay a fine of Rs 10,000 for the offence committed under section 326 (A) IPC.
According to prosecution the accused threw acid on the face of Suseela for not talking to him. Suseela suffered simple injury on right side of her face, right forehand, and left chest. This had created a permanent scar on her. The additional assistant sessions judge, convicted the accused for committing the offence. Challenging the verdict, he filed the appeal before the High Court.
Justice RMT Teekaa Raman said “it is to be noted that in view of the problem of rampant acid attacks on females and recommendations made for curbing this problem by Justice J.S.Verma Committee, by criminal amendment Act, 326(A) and (B) which came into force with effect from February 3, 2013.”
The judge modified the sentence awarded under Section 326 (A) of 10 years to that one to 326(B) to seven years.
